Women's Fashion Lifestyles 2012

Frequency of buying clothes, underwear and footwear, March 2012.

991 female internet users aged 16+

"Under-25s are the most dedicated followers of fashion and almost seven in ten (68%) make fashion purchases at least once a month."

Frequency of buying clothes by age and socio-economic group, March 2012

991 female internet users aged 16+

"Young women are the main drivers of fashion sales, with almost seven in ten (68%) 16-24 women buying clothing at least once a month. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of under-25 women (41%) go clothes shopping either once a week or two or three times a month."

"Women who are in full-time education purchase new clothing, footwear and underwear significantly more frequently than the average, despite their more limited spending potential."

"The propensity to purchase new clothing steadily diminishes as age increases, as both women’s interest in fashion and their enjoyment of the shopping experience fades. Seven in ten over-55 women purchase new garments every few months or less often."

"One in 20 over-55 women have not purchased any clothing in the last 12 months, which reflects that the mature generation tend to want to make their clothing last and are most inclined only to buy new garments to replace old or worn-out items."

Frequency of buying clothes, February 2011 and March 2012

991 Female internet users aged 16+

- Frequency of buying clothing has declined since 2011, which is positive for the sustainability of fashion.

Women who purchase clothing either once a week, 2-3 times a month or once a month, by age and socio-economic group, February 2011 and March 2012

991 Female internet users aged 16+

"A comparison with Mintel’s 2011 consumer research shows that overall women are shopping for clothes slightly less often than a year ago. Broken down by demographics, both ends of the age spectrum have maintained their frequency of purchasing, but 25-44s have cut back on shopping for clothes."

"The 25-44 age group are most likely to have children, and therefore when disposable incomes are squeezed, they are more likely to cut back on clothing for themselves than for their children."

This report has helped us to decide our target audience for the TRAID project. It illustrates that 16-24 year olds buy clothing most frequently, as well as stating that women who are in full-time education buy clothing significantly more frequently than average, despite apparent spending limits. 41% of under 25s go shopping at least once a week or 2 to 3 times a month. For the TRAID project we shall be targeting 16-24 year old students as this demographic contributes to creating sustainability issues within fashion the most.

All of this research was taken from Mintel.com, Women's Fashion Lifestyles Report May 2012.